Finance ministry approves 72 posts in climate change authority

Ministry to start drafting rules, vacancies to be advertised soon

ISLAMABAD: Resolving a major complaint, the finance ministry has decided to approve 72 posts as part of the maiden climate change authority of the country.

Following the decision, the Climate Change Ministry has started preparing rules for the authority.

Sources in the ministry have disclosed that a summary had been sent to the Finance Ministry last year in which permission was sought to create some 200 posts under the Pakistan Climate Change Authority (PCCA). However, the finance ministry had rejected the summary and had directed the Climate Change Ministry to rationalize it.

Thereafter, a second summary was sent, this time with a request for creating 124 posts.

Later, both ministries agreed on approving 72 critical posts in the authority as initial measures.

The authority will be formed under the Pakistan Climate Change Act 2017, passed by the previous government two years ago.

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The act had proposed to form a Pakistan Climate Change Council (PCCC) — headed by the prime minister (or his nominee) and comprising federal ministers, chief ministers of the provinces, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), the PCCA chief and others to monitor implementation of international agreements relating to climate change apart from monitoring implementation of National Adaption Plan.

The council was formed by the Climate Change Ministry of on December 26, 2018, after Prime Minister Imran Khan had approved a summary for it.

Moreover, the law was to set up the PCCA. The authority is to have a chairperson with eight members including four from the provinces, who are scientists, academicians, professionals, serving or retired government officers, industrialists, agriculturalists or other technocrats with at least 15 years of experience in climate change and environment.

All professional, technical and administrative officers and staff of the authority were to be “appointed by the authority or obtained from other federal or provincial and government agencies on deputation basis”, as per the law.

In case of appointing to the 72 seats, sources said that the posts will be advertised in the media to seek applications while successful applicants will have to clear a test by the Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC) and subsequent interviews.

The authority’s purpose will be to formulate comprehensive adaption and mitigation policies, plans, programmes, projects and measures to address the effects of climate change and meet Pakistan's obligations under international conventions and agreements relating to climate change and within the framework of a national climate change policy.

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A climate change fund was also established under the same law.

71 stone crushers reported

The district environmental department has sent a case to the Punjab Environment Ministry to take action against 71 stone crushing machines which are operating in the pristine Margalla Hills, Taxila, Salar Gah and Sazzi Baba.

The department asked the ministry to take stringent action against the environment polluters. Further, the department has issued red notices in this regard.

When contacted, Environment Department Deputy Director Amin Baig said that they were installing environment-friendly technology in crushing machines. Baig added that the department had prepared reports as per the orders of the Supreme Court (SC) regarding stone crushing in and around the Margalla Hills.

He added that the cases would also be presented to environmental tribunals as well.

Environment tribunal

The Punjab Environmental Tribunal has started taking action against illegal constructions in Murree.

The tribunal, while hearing cases, also indicted suspects and issued arrest warrants against various building owners who had built structures without first obtaining no-objection certificates (NoCs) from the environmental department.

The suspects have been directed to submit a reply by July 5. The environmental department had issued fines to owners of such constructions and presented their cases before the tribunal. 

Published in The Express Tribune, May 21^st, 2019.